Tropical Storm Ingrid is forecast to slowly move to the northwest and hit Mexico over the weekend. / National Hurricane Center

by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Tropical Storm Ingrid formed in the southern Gulf of Mexico on Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported.

As of 2 p.m., Friday, Ingrid had winds of 45 mph and was located about 40 miles east-northeast of Veracruz, Mexico. The storm was stationary.

It is the ninth named storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. So far, eight of the nine named storms have been tropical storms, with only one hurricane (Humberto).

The hurricane center predicts that the system will meander over the extreme southwestern Gulf of Mexico for the next two to three days. It is not forecast to strengthen into a hurricane.

The greatest impacts from Ingrid will likely be heavy rainfall, flash flooding and mudslides in eastern Mexico, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.

A wide swath of eastern Mexico near and inland of the Gulf Coast has the potential to pick up more than 10 inches of rainfall, with isolated amounts over 20 inches through next week, the Weather Channel reported.

The flooding could be "life-threatening," according to the hurricane center. A tropical storm warning has been issued by the government of Mexico for a portion of the coast.

The storm could also bring needed rainfall farther north along the Mexico coast and perhaps as far north as South Texas, depending on its track, AccuWeather reports. "Any reasonable rainfall will be welcomed by many residential and agricultural interests over the Rio Grande Valley," Sosnowski says.

There are now three active, named systems in the Atlantic basin. Ingrid joins Tropical Storm Humberto and Tropical Depression Gabrielle, which are both spinning in the open Atlantic Ocean and are expected to continue to weaken on Friday.